Summary of the Wind Event impacting Kent and Lynn counties on June 5th and 6th, 2005:During the early morning hours Monday, June 6, 2005, a weakening area of showers and thunderstorms moved across Kent county.  Through accurate reports from citizens and a National Weather Service (NWS) official Co-Operative Observer, the greatest impact from strong and damaging wind occurred in the Jayton, TX area between the hours of 11:40 PM and 12:00 AM CST.  In reviewing NWS doppler radar data and observational wind, temperature and dew point information from the Texas Tech University West Texas Mesonet stations in O'Donnell and Jayton between 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM CST, two areas of impact were evident.  At O'Donnell, TX, located in extreme southern Lynn county, a dissipating area of showers and weak thunderstorms forced what is known as a heat burst.  At times, a heat burst will occur in a dissipating thunderstorm with little rainfall.  The temperature will increase and the dew point (measure of moisture) will decrease.  A sharp increase in temperature and a related sharp decrease in dew point was noted in the mesonet data from O'Donnell around the time of their 61 mph and 63 mph wind gust at 11:00 PM and 11:05 PM CST, respectively.  As air rushes down to the ground from a thunderstorm (with little rainfall) it has a tendency to warm through compression.  Heat bursts are not uncommon to this area and often result in damage.  Showers and thunderstorms became slightly better organized as the activity moved to the east over Kent county.  Strong inflow developed behind the activity and a rear inflow jet signature was evident in radar data following a post-storm analysis.  Similarly, as this activity began to weaken, the strong winds were transferred to the ground within the down-rush of air (downdraft) from the dissipating area of showers and thunderstorms.  These strong winds higher above the surface were able to reach the ground and deliver damaging wind gusts ranging from 62 mph at 11:40 PM at the Jayton (1 mile south) mesonet station to a peak of 78 mph at 11:55 PM CST to 60 mph at 12:00 AM CST as the activity dissipated.   These types of downburst and/or straight-line wind events can damage several structures in the path of the wind flow.  At times, as the wind flow is prevented from passing through (damaging) a structure, the wind flow will be diverted around or over more dominant structures and can produce varied damage patterns.

Thunderstorm Wind in LYNN, TEXAS
From 05-JUN-05 23:05:00 to 05-JUN-05 23:05:00 (CST)
Location: ODONNELL
Magnitude: 55 MG
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet.

Thunderstorm Wind in LYNN, TEXAS
From 05-JUN-05 23:00:00 to 05-JUN-05 23:00:00 (CST)
Location: ODONNELL
Magnitude: 53 MG
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet.

Thunderstorm Wind in KENT, TEXAS
From 05-JUN-05 23:40:00 to 05-JUN-05 23:40:00 (CST)
Location: JAYTON
Magnitude: 54 MG
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet.

Thunderstorm Wind in KENT, TEXAS
From 05-JUN-05 23:55:00 to 05-JUN-05 23:55:00 (CST)
Location: JAYTON
Magnitude: 68 MG
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet.

Thunderstorm Wind in KENT, TEXAS
From 06-JUN-05 00:00:00 to 06-JUN-05 00:00:00 (CST)
Location: JAYTON
Magnitude: 52 MG
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Measured by the Texas Tech/West Texas Mesonet.